Heroin deal gone wrong in Abington

ABINGTON – Police say his first instinct was to flee. Driving to meet a client on Suffolk Street, the man police say turned out to be a drug dealer spotted an Abington police officer working a utility detail, performed a three-point turn and drove back the way he came.

Thinking this suspicious, the officer watched as a woman left a nearby home talking on her cell phone and walked up the street to a gas station at routes 58 and 139, Police Chief David Majenski said.

The officer alerted three colleagues working details in the surrounding area and coordinated with them as he saw the man hand over a small amount of heroin to the woman, Majenski said.

Kevin Moreira, 19, of Brockton, was charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws and distribution of a Class A substance. Tammy Jacobs, 48, of Abington, was charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws.

The bust offers a glimpse into the difficulty of combating heroin distribution in the area, Majenski said.

“Drug dealers are carrying less on them for obvious reasons,” Majenski said. “I have known instances where they will leave it on the side of the road, or leave stashes in other areas.”

In some cases, Majenski said, dealers have been known to leave heroin in a nearby store, on a shelf behind a particular product, though he said his officers have not seized any such re-supply stashes.

Allen is the lead detective with the WEB Major Crimes and Drug Task Force, covering East and West Bridgewater, Bridgewater and Whitman. He said it is difficult to follow every drug sale through to the supplier.

“It’s not a simple, ‘Hey everyone knows that person is a drug dealer, go arrest him,’” Allen said. “You need to obtain search warrants, you need dozens of man hours to conduct surveillance, and that’s just one case. Multiple cases at one time quickly expend resources.”